The Snake Migration of Snake Road

I am lucky enough to live at the opening of Shawnee National Forest. I get to enjoy the beauty of the forest on a daily basis.Wildlife is abundant and seeing wildlife as we go out of town is an expectation. The problem with this is that there are some members of the wildlife that will migrate This week saw the closing of a road right outside of town. The road known as snake road is closed so that snakes and amphibians can migrate from the LaRue Swamp to limestone bluffs.


The forest service has closed the road so that the animals can cross easily and with out harm. Some of the animals migrating are considered threatened and endangered. The road is closed not only for the safety of humans but also for the animal safety as well. The Road will be closed until October 30th.

For more information about the snake migration or the LaRue-Pine Hills Ecological Area, you can contact the Shawnee National Forest office in Jonesboro, Illinois at 618-833-8576.

The forest service says reptiles and Amphibians expected to be migrating across this road include: 

American toad
bird-voiced tree frog
black racer
black rat snake
broadhead skink
brown snake
bullfrog, green frog
cave salamander
central newt
common kingsnake
common snapping turtle
copperhead
cottonmouth
cricket frog
diamondback water snake
eastern box turtle
eastern garter snake
eastern hognose snake
fence lizard
five-lined skink
flathead snake
Fowler's toad
gray tree frog
green tree frog
ground skink|
lesser siren
long tail salamander
marbled salamander
midland water snake
Mississippi green water snake
mud snake
musk turtle
painted turtle
red milksnake
red-bellied snake
red-eared slider
ringneck snake
rough green snake
slimy salamander
smooth earth snake
southern leopard frog
Spotted salamander
spring peeper
timber rattlesnake
upland chorus frog
western ribbon snake
wood frog
worm snake